Introduction to Video Marketing

Introduction to Video Marketing

So, you’re interested in adding video to your marketing tool kit? Well you’re in the right place. In this exclusive four part series I’m going to give you my secret to creating award-winning viral videos for your brand that will promote and elevate it beyond your wildest dreams. We’ll talk about methods of shooting video, factors to consider when editing, and then spreading them via social media to your audience–earning you tens of thousands of dollars ….OK I’m just kidding, I obviously can’t do that. What I will do, though, is provide some insight on this phenomenon, and how we can use these same practices to create and disseminate our own videos via popular social media platforms.

You might be asking yourself “What the heck does this guy know?! He’s already lied to me once!” Well, for starters my name is Adam. I currently produce videos for a major midwestern university and have over 7 years of industry experience. My credits include creating, producing, shooting, and editing everything from award winning shows, documentaries, and live TV news to commercials and short films. I’ve helped publish articles, books, and even a website on these topics, and I maintain an active and robust social media presence. I am by no means the definitive voice when it comes to discussing things like social media and video production. However, I live and breathe this stuff, so I guarantee that you’re in good hands. Now let’s get started….

If you’re involved in the media industry, take a deep breath and feel some pride. A great friend of mine (who is also a prolific marketing blogger and writer), likened being in the communication industry right now to being involved with nuclear physics during the 1930s. We are at the cusp of a golden age in media, wherein formerly isolated forms are now converging at a staggering rate, opening up the doors for unparalleled creativity, innovation, and opportunity. The sky’s the limit in what we are capable of right now, and you, dear reader, are at the forefront of this digital revolution. OK, you can exhale now. Still with me? Good.

How about some staggering numbers: there are three days worth of video being added to YouTube every minute, Facebook caters to well over a billion users (nearly 15% of the entire human population), and in a similar vein some videos now boast more than 1 billion views. Super Bowl ads this year averaged a whopping $4 million for 30 seconds (not to mention the cost of actually producing these videos), and CBS Sports broadcasted the sporting event online for the second year in a row. Yes, the companies I’ve just listed are some of the titans of this revolution, and not small regional organizations like the ones you and I work at. However, if video wasn’t an integral part in their branding, and more importantly, their revenue, they wouldn’t bother spending the equivalent of Micronesia’s GNP on producing them. In short, video works. But how?

I’m here to help answer that question. This series will take a look at what it means when people say things like ‘viral video’ (I might also treat you to a rant about my disdain for that term), how simply sharing via social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter can get you views, and what these views can do for our brands and our bank accounts. We’ll then dissect some of the vexing and seemingly inexplicable origins and paths of popular videos, followed by the role of social media in sharing them. Additionally, there are some best practices when creating videos that I’ll go over, and how these tie in with some of the trends and themes that are taking shape right now. And to wrap up we’ll look at how we can all use this information to enhance our marketing and engage our audience on an entirely new level.

[…] this industry that I think everyone should have an interest in, and which I mentioned briefly in my first post, is the staggering growth that is occurring. It seems as though almost daily our peers present us […]

[…] off, get excited. As I mentioned in Part 1 we are in a very unique time in marketing, particularly with video as an available tool. There are […]

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